Tell me more about your career in science and what you do at Spectrum Brands.
I studied veterinary medicine in Hannover, Germany, until 2004 and started working in a vet clinic while finishing my doctorate in 2007. I continued working in various vet clinics until 2015 and then joined the Pet team at Spectrum Brands in Melle as Veterinary Technical Manager. My focus was on developing the breeder und influencer business as well as providing advice and education to both internal and external audiences in the DACH region. In 2019, I transitioned into the R&D team for Dog and Cat Food (DCF). Since April 2020, I’ve been the Manager of R&D Global Aquatics & Companion Animal Europe. This includes the R&D team for Tetra nutrition and care products and the Biological Quality Assurance in Melle as well as R&D for DCF.
What attracted you to a career in science? What do you love most about working in science?
I grew up in the countryside with lots of pets, so due to my family background, I wanted to become a vet. A key driver for my career choice was trying to find solutions for medical issues of pets. That’s also the reason why I transitioned into the pet industry – I wanted to investigate nutritional needs and help pet parents find solutions to their daily questions such as “how do I feed my dog correctly to help him lead a long and healthy life” or “how can the correct nutrition benefit the pet and ensure its well-being?”
What do you love most about working in science?
Trying to find solutions and help improve the lives of pets and pet owners.
How can we support women and girls in science?
From my perspective, this is providing access to very versatile and broad opportunities of education. Women and girls should have the chance to explore new fields by attending courses or doing internships in areas that maybe are not very high up on their radar or completely in line with their career plans. By trying out new things you can discover unknown talents and interests which – without this experience – you might never have been aware of.
How has your science career grown at Spectrum Brands?
When starting at Spectrum Brands, I was closer to the Sales & Marketing teams which was a really interesting experience as it helped me understand the consumers’ and customers’ needs and the market dynamics. However, after a few years I wanted to go “back to my roots”, meaning I wanted to do more research and development of products than explain or train on them. However, having this Sales & Marketing background really helps with the R&D work. Of course we want to fit the pets’ needs as much as possible and provide the most benefit with our formulas. At the same time, we have to consider questions such as “is there a market for this product that’s large enough for our customers to list it?”, “does the margin fit our company’s expectations?” or “do consumers understand the product and its benefits?” So in my team, we try to challenge ourselves by combining the pets’ needs and nutritional elements as much as possible with the demands in the (international) markets – one of the most interesting aspects of my role and our teams’ tasks.
What is your best piece of advice for women who want to break into a science field?
Try to broaden your horizon as much as possible. Try out new areas and projects, tap into fields you are not familiar with, sometimes they turn out to be more interesting that you would have thought. Also, get as much practical/ hands-on experience as possible.
Spectrum Brands Careers Blog 
April 10, 2021
Career Advice